JUST Birth Network caregivers understand the experiences of non-white patients and birthing parents. We too have shared the fears, anxieties and frustrations of seeking care within a system from which we are too often excluded. This program was authentically created for us, by us and for our culture.

That’s why, from birth planning to patient and family education to post-partum care, caregivers from within the JUST Birth Network will support patients every step of the way throughout their pregnancy and childbirth journey. We want to help every baby and their family grow, thrive and live their happiest, healthiest lives.

• Justice: Providing fair and just care based on the current environment and situations created by systemic racism to underserved and under-represented populations that have been at a disadvantage due to explicit and implicit racism.
• Unity: We must join together with each community and provide care based on our shared values and understandings by providing a wholesome experience to each individual while valuing their ancestral and current circumstances.
• Support: Understanding the direct impact our institution has within each community and organization, empowering each individual’s voice, assisting and guiding the process of integrating community cultural relevance within our health care.
• Trust: Trusting the community to show us how to provide the best care and, in turn, being someone the impacted communities can rely on.

The Justice, Unity, Support, Trust (JUST) Birth Network is an integral part of Swedish Women's Health and our Office of Health Equity Diversity and Inclusion (OHEDI) funded from the Providence Health Equity fund.

The Network aims to provide our Black and Native patients with an umbrella of culturally connected authentic care from the start of pregnancy through the postpartum experience. Led by Sauleiha Akangbe, the program was a vision she kindled as a community advocate, full-spectrum doula and an African American woman.

The foundations of JUST Birth began with the Black Birth Empowerment Initiative (BBEI) founded in 2020 with the intention to empower and ensure space for our Black patients, communities and doulas. The JUST Birth Network was then founded in 2022 as part of our commitment to address inequities experienced by our patients and communities. We also have intentions to empower and give back to the Native/Indigenous communities by partnering directly with community organizations for provider education efforts, doula support and culturally-based resources.

Every care plan is developed collaboratively and centered on our patients’ needs and experiences. Available services can include:

• Access to culturally congruent childbirth education: The JUST Birth six-week childbirth education series
• Partnership with community organizations to provide access to appropriate resources
• Connection to a birth doula who will provide emotional, physical support and education during pregnancy and labor and delivery
• Dedicated postpartum doula support including physical and emotional care during transition and recovery, education and techniques to soothe and care for baby, guidance for breastfeeding and chest-feeding, advice for healthful meal preparation, navigating family time with a newborn, and much more
• Inpatient cultural navigators are available for patients and caregivers at First Hill L&D, Antepartum, Postpartum and NICU, bringing culturally relevant resources and education to the bedside, as well as advocating for patients

Birth doula services are available at our Seattle First Hill, Issaquah and Edmonds birth centers. Postpartum doulas and birth and family education services are available throughout the Puget Sound region. Cultural navigators support all Black, African American, Native birthing patients and families during their stay at Swedish First Hill.

To qualify for free doula services or classes, patients must have Medicaid. For all other patients, services may be paid for in full, by payment plan, FHA and/or HSA (when applicable).

The JUST Birth Network acts as an access point to culturally-congruent care within Swedish Women’s Health. Please read below for more information on what to expect from each service we provide.

After filling out the contact form under “contact us,” someone from our team will be in touch to discuss your options for a birth and/or postpartum doula support. Doula services are based on each doula's availability. We try our best to introduce you to doulas who match your preferences. Examples include, background, continued education, race, ethnicity, language and gender identity. Please expect an email or phone call.

Please follow the link under “contact us” to begin searching for our JUST Birth childbirth and family education classes. Classes offered include the JUST Birth six-week series, as well as one-day class options.

Accessible at First Hill in the L&D, Antepartum, Postpartum and NICU units. You can request a cultural navigator if you are interested in hearing about our culturally relevant resources or if you and your support system/care team need advocacy support.

Coming soon. The group of providers listed in our JUST Birth Care Team section have undergone a non-clinical birth equity competency training and are committed to the JUST Birth Network and the communities we serve. The providers listed are affirming of patient's identities, experiences and cultural backgrounds in the care they are trained to provide.

• Find a doula
• Find a doctor or midwife
• Birth Center locations
• Classes and tours

• BLKBRY: BLKBRY’s mission is to create holistic, empowered and culturally-affirmed experiences and sexual education, conception, pregnancy, and all pregnancy-outcomes including birth, miscarriage, loss and abortion. We empower one another and our community in our respective ancestral traditions as we uplift our community’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. blkbry.com
• Family Ways: Family Ways is a program supporting pregnant persons, parenting families and children up to age five. All services are culturally-relevant, participant-centered and strengths-based. Our Peer Community Specialists represent the communities we currently serve. kingcounty.gov

• Global Perinatal Services: globalperinatal.org

• Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services: We believe: Every parent is the perfect parent for their baby; That healthy mothers and babies are the foundation of a healthy community; That abundance and generosity are essential in Indigenous resiliency; That abundance and generosity are a community responsibility, In the validity of traditional knowledge; In centering Indigenous people in all our work; In the importance of providing culturally-relevant care. hummingbird-ifs.org, hummingbird.socialsolutionsportal.com
• Family Ways: Family Ways is a program supporting pregnant persons, parenting families and children up to age five. All services are culturally relevant, participant-centered and strengths-based. Our Peer Community Specialists represent the communities we currently serve. kingcounty.gov

• BLKBRY: BLKBRY’s mission is to create holistic, empowered and culturally-affirmed experiences and sexual education, conception, pregnancy, and all pregnancy-outcomes including birth, miscarriage, loss and abortion. We empower one another and our community in our respective ancestral traditions as we uplift our community’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. blkbry.com
• Family Ways: Family Ways is a program supporting pregnant persons, parenting families and children up to age five. All services are culturally-relevant, participant-centered and strengths-based. Our Peer Community Specialists represent the communities we currently serve. kingcounty.gov
• Global Perinatal Services: globalperinatal.org

• Birth and Family Education: "Movements for an Easier Labor" in Chinese. Register for this class

• Swedish Transgender Health: Swedish offers Healthcare Navigation Services for Swedish patients who are looking for support in accessing gender affirming services, treatments and providers. These services are a crucial step to making sure that our transgender and gender diverse patients are receiving relevant, competent and equitable access to medical care, wrap around services and resources. Healthcare Navigation support is available to all Swedish patients. This includes new patients who are looking to establish care with a Swedish health care provider. swedish.org

• Global Perinatal Services: globalperinatal.org

• Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services: We believe: Every parent is the perfect parent for their baby; That healthy mothers and babies are the foundation of a healthy community; That abundance and generosity are essential in Indigenous resiliency; That abundance and generosity are a community responsibility, In the validity of traditional knowledge; In centering Indigenous people in all our work; In the importance of providing culturally relevant care hummingbird-ifs.org, hummingbird.socialsolutionsportal.com
• Family Ways: Family Ways is a program supporting pregnant persons, parenting families and children up to age five. All services are culturally relevant, participant-centered, and strengths-based. Our Peer Community Specialists represent the communities we currently serve. kingcounty.gov

• Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services: We believe: Every parent is the perfect parent for their baby; That healthy mothers and babies are the foundation of a healthy community; That abundance and generosity are essential in Indigenous resiliency; That abundance and generosity are a community responsibility, In the validity of traditional knowledge; In centering Indigenous people in all our work; In the importance of providing culturally-relevant care. hummingbird-ifs.org, hummingbird.socialsolutionsportal.com
• Family Ways: Family Ways is a program supporting pregnant persons, parenting families and children up to age five. All services are culturally relevant, participant-centered, and strengths-based. Our Peer Community Specialists represent the communities we currently serve. kingcounty.gov

• Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services: We believe: Every parent is the perfect parent for their baby; That healthy mothers and babies are the foundation of a healthy community; That abundance and generosity are essential in Indigenous resiliency; That abundance and generosity are a community responsibility, In the validity of traditional knowledge; In centering Indigenous people in all our work; In the importance of providing culturally relevant care. hummingbird-ifs.org, hummingbird.socialsolutionsportal.com
• Family Ways: Family Ways is a program supporting pregnant persons, parenting families and children up to age five. All services are culturally relevant, participant-centered, and strengths-based. Our Peer Community Specialists represent the communities we currently serve. kingcounty.gov